Clear and Windy

Looks like Earl missed us completely. It got overcast yesterday around noon and we had a little light rain for a couple of hours, but that was it. It cleared up over night and we woke up to blue skies, but the wind didn't pick up until this afternoon. It's breezy now, with a high around 78, and the wind gusting to around 30.

Boat watch:

Still working on the decks. I think I've got about half the area before the companionway faired, but the last half should go really quick. I also started cleaning up the forward edge of the hull, above the water line. There are several old repairs that looked pretty bad, so I'm going to redo them. I'll eventually repaint all the topsides -- that's the area you see, from the waterline to the toe rails -- but don't have time right now, so I'll just fix the holes and try to match the existing paint.

Mast watch:

I haven't decided whether or not to trim the mast now or wait till later. If I can figure out how to beef up the mast step on the deck, I'll probably go ahead and do it now. I figure it's only a couple days work total. I need to get her in this month, so I don't want to add too many things to my list and get delayed.

Zoe watch:

She got her bath the other day and looked really good until this morning. When we got back from our walk, I started talking to Bill, the yard mechanic, and Zoe took advantage of the pause to roll around in the dust -- by the time I noticed, she had already turned a light gray. I guess she's happier that way, but I prefer black.